


Message in a Bottle

by Sairyn



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Boys In Love, Broken Hearts, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Look At Your Life Look At Your Choices, M/M, Marvey Fic Challenges, THE TEARS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 16:54:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10790781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sairyn/pseuds/Sairyn
Summary: Its the night before Mike's wedding and Harvey is trying to write the best man's speech. It takes him several tries and five years before he finally gets it right.





	1. The first speech

 

It was quiet; quiet enough that Harvey could finally let out the breath he was holding (figuratively) the whole night. One of his final duties now complete- the bachelor party. He looks over to where Mike is passed out on his couch. Kid never could hold his liquor he thinks to himself, all the while pouring himself a stiff drink. Harvey knows he has two more duties before this nightmare is over- write the best man’s speech and then stand quietly next to the man he loves and watch him marry someone else. There is no doubt in his mind he can do this- he can. He has been lying all of his life, what’s one more day? With that final morose thought meant to be encouragement, he puts pen to paper. **  
**

Two hours later, Harvey is surrounded by crumpled papers, each a tell tale sign of a mind in turmoil. Sure, they all start off good, but somehow, someway, Harvey’s own feelings slip in between the lines. How is he supposed to say all the wonderful things he thinks about Mike while not sounding like a man in love with the groom?

“Fuck this,” he utters as another page gets ripped from his legal pad and lands across the room. He quickly pours his second, maybe third drink. After a healthy swallow he picks up the pen and tries again.

_Mike,_

_I knew you were something special the moment you crashed into my interviews. Beyond that annoying cockiness and bleeding heart was a man on the verge of greatness. It took some grooming, some time and a little attitude adjustment, but we finally got you presentable to the point that Rachel noticed. It was touch and go for a time, but not once did I doubt that the remarkable man I saw glimpses of that day would emerge and take the world by storm. I know that in Rachel you have found your true happiness and I dare anyone to try and stand in the way of you both getting the love you deserve. They say that no matter the path, the true destination always awaits us. And it has been a journey for the both of you. May your path now joined bring you everything you both have ever wished for, today, tomorrow and always. I stand before you, family, friends and guests and present to you Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ross._

Harvey can barely read the words on the paper. He steels his gaze and wills the water clouding his vision to go away. This is a speech worthy of Mike. And Harvey made a promise to himself when Mike went to jail. He would do everything in his power to first free him and secondly, make sure Mike never gets hurt again. And if that means breaking his own heart in the process, then so be it.

Harvey wakes the next morning, feeling like his world is ending, and it has nothing to do with the monster hangover he rightfully earned. It seems every muscle in his body hurts and his mouth feels like sandpaper. He doesn’t know when Mike got up and left or when he took the puppy’s place on the couch, but apparently he did. With a groan, Harvey rises.

“Good morning, sunshine,” a too cheery voice comes from the door.

‘Ugh, what time is it?”

“Time to rise and shine. Looks like the party ended here for you last night. Although by the looks of your office it looks like it was **_loads_** of fun. What did you do? Abandon Mike the first moment he turned his head?”

“Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving. And no. We both came back here after the party started to wind down.”

“I take it since you are here alone, you didn’t tell him.”

“Didn’t tell him what?”

Her fiery eyes transform into her signature ‘don’t play stupid with me, I am way smarter than you’ look. He knows it well.

“Donna, for the last time there is nothing to tell.”

“Keep lying to yourself, Harvey. But just so you know, you might have just wasted your last opportunity to tell that man how you feel.”

“He loves Rachel, Donna. It doesn’t matter what I may or may not feel.”

“Whatever. But if I were you, I would get a move on. The wedding is in 3 hours and in case you have forgotten, you’re Mike’s ride.”

Harvey looks around and sees his office littered with several crumpled pieces of paper. Suddenly it feels like it’s too much. “I haven’t forgotten,” he mumbles slowly coaxing his bones to move on command.

Her eyes soften as she strolls towards him. “Go,” she whispers, “I got this.”

Harvey picks up his speech that he actually managed to finish sometime this morning and walks towards his door.

He grasps her shoulder as he passes. “Thanks, Donna,” he mutters, walking slowly to his fate.

Harvey doesn’t remember much of the wedding and even less of the reception. What he does remember is how Mike looked standing up there next to him as he waited for Rachel. How his normally bright eyes seemed even brighter. The sigh Mike released as he saw her walking towards him. And Harvey doesn’t think he will ever forget the kiss they shared when it was over. But the one thing Harvey remembers above anything else was the feel of his whole world crumbling right before his eyes and the burning desire to have a do over, to go back to the way they once were, giving Harvey the chance to say all the things he never did. But that was nothing more than wishful thinking and Harvey knows better than that. So twelve hours after Harvey woke up on his couch, he walked out into the night sky, feeling alone for the first time in years.

***

Five years is a long time. Well at least for most. For Harvey the last five years have gone by in fits and starts. It was hard at first. He never thought he would leave New York, but with nothing to stop him, when opportunity came knocking on the west coast, he answered. He also didn’t think he would ever not have Donna by his side. But once again, life threw him a curve ball when she told him no, helped him pack up his life and kissed him goodbye.

Harvey’s life is good. He has made amends with his family, has a successful law business and can finally look back on his time at Pearson Specter Litt and more importantly the man who walked into his interviews and changed his world without anger or sadness. He starts to pack up his office, grabbing his phone when he notices he has missed two calls. One is from Alex, with an offer of a homemade dinner if Harvey can swing it. The message makes him smile. Harvey has been dating Alex for a few months now. It took a while, but Harvey was finally able to move on, and open himself up to someone. The second message is from Donna and it immediately makes his smile falter.

_Harvey, I need you to come to New York. It’s Mike._

Harvey’s gut drops. He quickly picks up the phone, trying to get answers to the questions he is afraid to voice.

Within six hours, and a quick apology to Alex, Harvey is walking out of JFK with one focus in mind- getting to Mike. Donna’s words playing on an endless loop- _accident, surgery, critical condition, wait and see._ When he arrives in the critical care waiting area he sees Donna slumped in a chair, wadded up tissue clenched in her fist, her face puffy and red.

“Donna?”

“Harvey!”  She rushes into his arms, and he knows whatever it is, is bad. Donna has always been steady, a rock. The whole world could be falling apart around her and never once did he see her break a sweat.

“How is he?”

“I don't… They won’t…” He pulls her in tighter, rubbing her back. After a moment she pulls back.

“Come on, let’s sit down and you can tell me what happened?” He looks around briefly.

“Where’s Rachel? Is she in with him?” She flinches in his arms and shakes her head.

“Can you tell me what happened?” he coaxes, knowing now is not the time to push her on something she doesn’t want to talk about.

“He was out driving. He was… upset,” she chokes out. “It was late at night…and apparently he either wasn’t paying attention or caught off guard. Either way, a car came around a corner and ran through the light. He hit the driver’s side and.. And he was hit so hard, they had to pry Mike out.”

Harvey’s stomach roils. “Jesus.”

“What about the other guy? Is he hurt? Better yet, is he dead?”

Once again, she shakes her head.

“No,” she spits out. “He’s fine. Not a scratch. He was drunk, Harvey”

Harvey sees red. “That son of a bitch, where is he? What’s his name?” Strong arms reach up and stop him from leaving the area in a hot rage.

“Harvey, stop. Mike needs you,” she implores.

“Fine,” he grits out, his anger barely controlled. “Then tell me this. What the hell had him so upset and where the hell is Rachel? Why isn’t she here?”

Donna’s silence speaks volumes. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out there is more and he braces himself while he waits her out.

“Rachel and Mike had a…falling out.”

“What kind of falling out?”

“The kind that ruins relationships.”

“What… happened…?”

“Mike Ross?”

“Yes. That’s us,” he answers, putting their previous conversation on the back burner, for the moment.

He listens intently while the doctor informs them that Mike had extensive internal injuries, but that his surgery went well. “However,” he adds, “Mr. Ross had massive brain swelling, so we put him in a medically induced coma. We should know more in the next 24-48 hours.” Harvey sees the man walk away and hears Donna muffle a soft cry.

“Tell me he is going to be okay, Harvey.”

“Donna, listen to me. Mike is going to be fine.” He grasps her chin firmly, capturing her gaze. “I promise.”

It’s three days before Mike is allowed visitors. Harvey is the first person through the door.

Mike looks thinner than Harvey remembers, paler too. Of course that is nothing compared to the sickly purple and yellow bruises that seem to cover his arms and face. All Harvey can do is close his eyes and will away the machines, lines and tubes that seem to be invading every part of Mike’s body. Harvey wants to remember Mike the way he last saw him- with bright eyes and an infectious smile. A groan coming from the bed startles Harvey out of his thoughts. He quickly strides over to the bed, carefully reaching out to grasp Mike’s hand.

“Hey, don’t move, I’ll get a doctor.”

“Har..Harvey?”

“The one and only.”

“What are you doing here?”

“We can play twenty questions later, right now I need to get a doctor in here.”

“Is Rachel…”

Harvey hasn’t seen Rachel since he came into town and still doesn’t know what has happened between the two of them. But his instincts tell him it is something big. He sighs. “No, Mike, she isn’t here.”

“Good,” Mike murmurs.

Harvey walks to the door intent on getting a doctor and preventing Mike from saying anything else he might regret when he feels better. While Mike is getting examined, Harvey makes two phone calls. The first to Donna, telling her to get back down to the hospital and the second to Alex, to give an update on his plans to stay in New York a bit longer. When Donna arrives thirty minutes later, Harvey is waiting for her at the elevator.

“Harvey? What’s happened? Is Mike okay?”

“Mike’s fine. They are taking him for more tests. I think it’s time for us to talk.”

“About?” she asks warily.

“About Rachel. What happened between them? When I left they were fine…”

“Yeah, when you left. Well things weren’t as great as you wanted to believed. This was true even before you left.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that while you went off to the sunny shores of California, things fell apart back home.”

“You can’t possibly be blaming me for this?”

“Of course not. But if you were here…”

“If I were here what? They wouldn’t have had problems, they would never have a fight?”

“Of course not, but … maybe. I don’t know, Harvey. We were family.”

“We still are. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t need other things. Mike got married, you started seriously dating what’s his name, and I wanted a fresh start without the baggage that came with constantly trying to rebuild a firm that had its run. It didn’t mean we weren’t family, it just meant that I needed something different. So stop stalling and tell me what happened between them, and don’t tell me nothing, because Rachel has not been up here once since this happened.”

“Fine.”

They go down to the cafeteria, where Harvey got them both a cup of substandard coffee, he was now used to, having spent most of his time inside the walls of the hospital waiting for Mike to wake.

“Mike and Rachel started having problems three years into their marriage. Rachel wanted kids and Mike wasn’t sure he was ready. But he gave in and they tried, and tried. And every time Rachel didn’t end up pregnant, things got worse. Six months ago, Rachel came up pregnant. It should have been the happiest time of their life. If anything, their relationship got worse. Then Mike found out that the baby Rachel is carrying is not his. In fact, the night she told him was the night…”

Harvey can figure out the rest. “Anything else I should know?”

“Not that I know of. For anything else, you’ll have to ask Mike.”

“We should head back. Mike should be back from his tests by now.”

Harvey and Donna spend the next three days taking turns sitting at Mike’s bedside. Little by little, Mike starts to regain some of his strength and improve. On day five, Mike tells him what his life has been like since Harvey’s been gone. The happy couple Harvey left behind, quickly faded into another sad story of two people who found themselves in a relationship they no longer wanted and regretted. In fact, according to Mike, he was ready to call it quits for good, when he found out Rachel was pregnant. Never one to walk away from his obligations, Mike chose to stay; that is until he found out the baby wasn’t his. According to Mike, he wasn’t sure if he was more angry or relieved in that truth. In the end it was anger that drove him to take to the streets that night. Mike took a deep breath then looked at Harvey, making sure to capture Harvey’s gaze.

“I missed you.”

Harvey honestly didn’t know what to say. Now that the worst of what had happened was behind Mike, feelings Harvey had locked away years ago were threatening to resurface. What did that mean? What about Alex? Harvey walked away from Mike and New York to start his life over, but here he was standing in front of the man he once loved more than anything and found himself…wanting.

“Mike, I missed you too.”

“So why haven’t I seen you in five years? You walked away and never looked back. I had to nearly die to get you to come back.”

“You know how it is. Life. Besides, that interstate works both ways,” he chastises softly. “And as for you trying to die, don’t ever do that again.”

Mike looks away briefly, before speaking. “So when do you have to leave?” His voice is small, shy, as if afraid to hear the answer.

And isn’t that the real question? Mike is not the only person who has asked him. Both Donna and Alex have as well. The truth is, he doesn’t know the answer. If Harvey leaves, he knows he won’t come back. Saying goodbye to Mike once was hard enough. And if he stays, what then? Could he start a new life back here in New York and still be happy? Or would he stand by and pine after Mike like he did once before? What about his new life, his career, Alex?

***

The next five years go just as quickly for Harvey. His practice is thriving, he still loves living in California and he is happy. He is just about to leave for the day when his mobile goes off.

_Do you know when you will be home? I’m thinking of making dinner._

Harvey smiles before answering. _How about I come home now?_

_Perfect. I’ll see you soon. Love you._

_Love you too, Mike._

 

***

 


	2. The second speech

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Mike and Harvey got together

Epilogue

Six months after the accident Donna was helping Mike pack up his apartment. Even though technically it was his, Mike didn’t want to spend another night in the house he thought he would be sharing with Rachel. Despite weeks of therapy and rehab, Mike still moved slower than he would like and tired easily. As he was finishing up what was left of the bedroom, he came across an envelope tucked away in one of his “memory” labeled boxes. Mike barely remembers putting it in there. He takes it out and reads it to himself. Not that he has to. Amazingly enough he still for the most part has an infallible memory- minus the night of the accident after getting behind the wheel of Rachel’s car. He could still hear Harvey’s voice as if it were yesterday.

“What ya got there?” Mike looks up to see Donna standing in the door frame.

“This?” He holds up the sheet of paper. “This is Harvey’s best man speech. He gave it to me as a joke, a reminder he called it. As if I could ever forget.”

“Hmm. I remember it well. Finding him the morning after your bachelor party asleep in his old office, surrounded by mangled sheets of paper. I had to clean up after him. Do you miss her?”

“Huh? What? You mean Rachel?”

Donna nods silently.

“No. Honestly, I can’t even remember why we ever got married.”

“Because you loved her? And don’t tell me you don’t remember, I’ve seen the powers of that brain of yours first hand,” she teases.

“Did I? Or was it just easier?” Mike looks away then, lost in thoughts he hasn’t allowed himself to think about since before the wedding.

Donna looks at him closely and takes in a deep breath before speaking. “Well, easy or not, what’s done is done. Right?”

“Yes, it’s definitely done- thank God.”

“Then I say it’s time to turn the page in your life. Starting with finishing up the task at hand. Get back to packing,” she jokes, effectively lightening the mood.

Mike packs up the last of his memories and walks out of the apartment without looking back. Two weeks later when he comes home from therapy he sees a package on his counter from Donna.

_How did she…? Never mind,_ he thinks.

_Hey Puppy,_

_Since you kept Harvey’s speech I thought you might want to read the ones that didn’t make the cut. Just in case you are curious._

_D~_

Mike takes out the stack of crinkled papers and begins to read. Most of them have only a few sentences, some a couple of words, there’s even one that has the perfect outline from Harvey’s whiskey glass. But then Mike gets to one that is almost a page long. He takes that one out of the stack, grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and sits down to read it.

_Mike,_

_I stand here before you. You and Rachel with pride in my soul and love in my heart. Who would’ve thought when you busted into my interviews, running from a past you wanted to leave behind, that you would become so important in my future? I can’t tell you how much you impressed me that day, knocking me off my feet with your ability to challenge me from the start. Playing hearts while I threw out law questions. You were young, cocksure and bold; you were exactly what I was looking for - the next me. And over the years, I watched you blossom and grow. Before long, instead of you trying to keep up with me, it was me trying to keep up with you. And truth be told, I never could. You were not just another me, you were the better version of me. One willing to not only succeed in the courtroom, but also in life, with friends, and family. You love with all that you are and you’re unafraid to go after what you really want- a trait I envy in more ways than one. Because if I were braver, stronger, I would have told you the truth. But that time has passed. And so now I sit here and tell myself I can no longer think about what could have been, I now need to focus on the next chapter of my life. A life that will no longer have you in it. I guess in some ways you are still playing hearts, while I continue to hide behind the fortress of law. I promise you, Mike, that next time I will do better. Next time, I will be more like you._

Mike doesn’t know when he started to cry. But he must have, since the paper in his hands now has several droplets of water staining the years old ink. Mike’s mind rapidly repeats the letter over and over trying to read the words not said and wondering if they could mean anything close to what he hopes they mean. Because if they do, if they did, then maybe there was still a chance to say the one thing he never did say in all the years he worked alongside Harvey. And maybe if he plays his cards right, and it’s not too late, he still can.

The first thing Mike does is reach for his phone and sends a text. Nothing momentous, just a question to see if there is any chance in hell for him to get the life he wanted the day he met Harvey Specter.

_Hi Harvey,_

_I remember you telling me that the interstate worked both ways. I was wondering. Any chance I could use it and come out for a visit?_

Mike puts the phone down and finishes his water. After ten minutes he realizes he has not moved, his eyes have not left the table. He waits some more, glaring at the phone. “Come on, Specter,” he says to the empty room. “One way or another- just say something.”

It takes another 30 minutes for the phone to finally, finally chime that he has received a message. He quickly grabs it off the table and swipes open the screen.

Incoming message- from Harvey Specter

Mike takes a deep breath and opens up the message. It only contains one word.

_**Yes** _

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went to bed thinking I was done when I realized I didnt explain how Mike and Harvey got together- so at 3 am I climbed back out of bed and wrote the epilogue.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I have no idea what happened here. I was just trying to find a way to get back in the swing of writing. Then my girl posts something about a new character in in Suits- Alex Williams, Harvey's long time friend. "Long time friend". It got me thinking and before you know it I am up until 4 in the morning trying to beat the deadline.  
> So I hope you enjoy all the feels
> 
> A special thanks to novemberhush for reading it over before the carriage turned back into a pumpkin


End file.
